Fashion Weeks

MIKHAEL KALE
The ELLE Canada fashion team is heading into the tents at Toronto’s World MasterCard Fashion Week primed with iPhone6s to capture video diaries for the week. First up, is Canada’s reigning embellishment king, Mikhael Kale. The Toronto-based designer opened the week with a collection inspired by Irving Penn flower photographs, “I felt drawn to experimenting with his still life images of flowers—and this fading beauty, which I thought was pretty amazing,” he said backstage. We thought his collection was pretty amazing!

MATTHEW GALLAGHER
Moving your front row royalty straight onto the runway is a sure sign that something big is about to happen. And, Matthew Gallagher’s spring 2016, where models weaved their way between Toronto’s stylish patrons (Elisha Cuthbert included) did not disappoint. Sequins and shine upped the glam factor on daring eveningwear (hello, cutout bodices), while mesh and candy-coloured fabrics gave the rest of the collection a pop art vibe.

SID NEIGUM
The Edmonton-born designer closed the night with a meditative and monastic collection that built upon his signature modular origami and packaging design-influenced techniques. I was so taken looking at the pieces up close before the show began, that I was too late to get to my seat! (I thought about walking in behind the first model, but the security detail didn’t embrace that idea.) Thank goodness there’s a backstage screen monitor!